SpeedofLite 

Includes a review of the Tesch 101.

Spoonrobot 

Interesting to see young Peter Weigle and Angel Rodriguez. Are there any other Specialized ads that feature cycling personalities in the issue?

Portlandjim

Great story! I met Dave when he came to San Marcos, we became good friends. What a character! They don't make'em like that anymore. The story mentions Dave was in the Navy, but doesn't say what he was doing. He worked as a machinist on missions onboard a nuclear Boomer submarine. This job requires someone who has all around fabrication skills. Dave was that kind of guy, and was a very good at brazing. I'm the one who put together the project of using his shop to make the top model 1987 Allez frames for Specialized. That worked out very nicely. Here is an amazing story from the New Yorker Magazine that starts out in Dave's frame shop, long but worth reading. It explains the start of his frame building downfall:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...usp=share_link

Dave ended up moving back to Wisconson and worked as a auto mechanic. I kept in touch with him until he passed away in 2003, way too young at 44 years of age. Here is a link to Dave Moulton's blog:

Dave Moulton's Blog - Dave Moulton's Bike Blog - David Tesch

The OP also shows some Specialized tire ads that are great!

Jim Merz

Robvolz 

This article is refreshing to read.

I've never met the man, but speaking with some of the other California Masi members that are still around, they seem to talk more about his overly exorbitant people (sales) skills and less about his frame building abilities. Nothing was mean spirited, maybe more of an age-gap amongst the guys with huge egos, and no matter what, he would always be "the kid."

After a great chat with Ted Kirkbride, I was reminded of a favorite quote from John Lennon who when once asked if Ringo Starr was the best drummer in the world.

"He's not even the best drummer in the band!!"


Kirkbride told me, "Tesch wasn't the best frame builder, but he was the loudest."


I'm glad to read a different perspective based on his engineering skillset. (and I'm mad I didn't buy that 101 advertised in Aberdeen WA in my size)

stoneageyosh

It is worthwhile to read Dave Moulton’s blog piece about Dave Tesch to get a framebuilder’s perspective of Dave’s abilities. Jim Merz posted a comment there and I also added a bit about my Reynolds 753 Tesch Model 100.

shoota 

Those ads are incredible. Too bad they're Specialized, but still they're super cool.

Portlandjim

And the problem with Specialized is what? Jim Merz

bulgie 

One tiny correction, Rodriguez and Erickson's shop was R+E, not R&E. Common mistake.

bulgie 

That's rich. Kirkbride was barely a framebuilder at all.

Trakhak

Sorry for the digression from the topic of this terrific thread, but:

The correct quote is, "He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles!"

But it wasn't said by John Lennon, who had been dead for three years when the British comedian Jasper Carrott first used the line (which he got from a comedy writer whose name escapes me at the moment).

The idea that Lennon would have said it makes such delicious celebrity gossip that there are undoubtedly people who still refuse to believe that Lennon never said it, in spite of ample evidence proving otherwise.

In any event, John, Paul, and George all recruited Ringo at one time or another to drum for them on their solo albums, and all praised his drumming in interviews over the years.

mpetry912 

yeah! in those times the Specialized Turbo was about the best you could get !

in fact the current issue Turbo Cotton is a damn good tire.

why the hate for Specialized. ?

/markp

bulgie 

I'm not one of the haters, but I know Big S lost some good will when they sued Roubaix Cafe for using the name of a French city that they thought they owned.

I did a (possibly useless) A/B comparison between cheap tubulars and Turbo VS clinchers, the ones with cotton and kevlar threads in the casing. I raced a weekly series held at a local car-racing track, and alternated between my tubs and my Turbo wheels. Same course but a week apart. I couldn't tell any difference except under the hardest cornering, the Turbo felt a little more confidence-inspiring. You don't know whether a tire will slip until it does, and then you're likely to fall down. I never fell down, so I guess I never exceeded the cornering ability of either of the tires, but the cheap Vittorias I was using made a sound I didn't like when near the max G I could achieve on the tightest corner. It wasn't very tight, but there was a hill and the speed on one of the turns was reasonably high.

Anyway like I said this test is possibly useless, but it confirmed for me that the VS tire was good enough for me. I seldom had two dimes to rub together so I almost never had high-grade tubulars on my race bike. I have raced on silk Del Mondos, but never compared them directly to clinchers on the same course. Of course the only time I could afford top grade silks was when I pulled one out of the trash at the bike shop, when some well-heeled customer threw one away with plenty of life still in it, because he couldn't be bothered fixing a flat. I got a lot of tires that way!

Anyway, I don't know if there were any better tires at the time, but Turbo VS was pretty excellent. Just too narrow!

Mark B

mpetry912 

thanks for that insite Mark ! I would think that the limiting case on tubular tires would be glue adhesion rather than than the grip afforded by the contact patch.f

I'm reminded of an Avocet ad from sometime in this era.

but those Turbo tires were unbeatable in the day and they were much less fragile than tubulars.

Anyway we now return to our reguarly scheduled topic. No need to adjust your set. or your rabbit ears.

/markp.

Portlandjim

Mark's comments about the Turbo VS. I came up with the idea of using Kevlar fibers in the casing for these tires. It was a long learning curve to perfect this, we even had to make a custom made casing fabric machine for instance. They were excellent tires.

If I'm going to get insulted on here I will clam up.

Jim Merz

Bad Lag

I also liked the advertisements. I believe I still have some of the Specialized Turbos out in the garage. They were great tires. Their existence allowed me to swear off tubulars and not give up anything.

Bad Lag

Back on topic, why did David Tesch die so young?

philpeugeot 

Accord to his sister, he died of a brain tumor, specifically Glioblastoma Multiforme. Found in the comments of Dave Moulton's article on Dave Tesch.

stoneageyosh

Edit:
You have to consider Ted Kirkbrides comment saying Tesch was not the best frame builder in context, which at the time was comparing him to in house artisans Brian Baylis, Mario Confente and Dave Moulton. Hard to break in that lineup.


My understanding was that Ted Kirkbride had the building where Masi was housed with Dave Moulton, Brian Baylis and CyclArt as tenants earlier in their respective careers.
In my visits to Masi it usually was to see Dave Tesch and Brian Baylis as the shop I worked at sold their custom frames. We also sold Masi which didn’t require the same degree of in process attention that a built to order frame did.
I had first met Ted Kirkbride around 1973-4, when he was involved in getting the San Diego Velodrome approved and built. He asked Chuck Pranke, who had successfully promoted two Grand Prix of the United States at Encino Velodrome and was conducting weekly events there, for assistance in facility design and promoting the new velodrome. Chuck asked me to come along to act as backup to make sure he didn’t overlook something.
Although I can’t remember seeing him doing much in the shop, Ted was always friendly and an enthusiastic advocate for Masi.

RCMoeur 

(nods in CyclePro 240 gram)

Robvolz 

My visit with Ted was charming. He has nothing but love for all the guys that worked there.

I didn't think of it as an insult at all. More of a "GODDAMM that kid was LOUD!!"

stoneageyosh

Correctomundo! Dave was as loud as he was enthusiastic about virtually everything he did. Even some of the questionable projects such as his messing with a sad green Mercury Comet referred to as the “vomit” for good reason.
The first time I met him was when he came up to Marina Del Rey Bike to recruit a shop in the area. He was slow and soft spoken as we talked with him. Probably because he didn’t know us. He liked how we measured and fitted riders and that the shop owner was a pro bike, hmmm gourmand(?). Ended up ordering a Model 100 which didn’t take long to sell as the first of a handful of Model 100s built to order and even more Model 101s as he got them going.
Used to see him at his shop to see what he was up to and also say hello to Brian Baylis who had his shop across the parking lot at the time. Those were always interestingly educational if not entertaining trips.

icemilkcoffee 

p.32 is missing. What, am I the only one who actually read the articles?

georges1

Very intresting article and thanks for sharingNiceto see Specialized tires ads, even by today standards the Specialized Turbo are a must have tire and a solid reference on the market.

SpeedofLite 

No. That was it, there ain't no mo'.

Page 32 is a full-page ad for Gatorade.

Portlandjim

Icemilkcoffee was referring to the New Yorker story I believe. I have a PDF link that I should have posted, it includes the illustrations and I think it's all there:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QaB...ew?usp=sharing

Jim Merz